What Really Are Superb Amber Notes in Powerful Perfumes?

We do love the throw about phrases and words in perfumery, assuming it is clear what we are talking about, but maybe some are a little more veiled than we realise. For example, what does Amber really mean in perfumery? After all, the golden little rocks of tree sap don’t really have a scent, or do they? Let’s explore via a new, delicious Amber Labdunum Scent from Jo Malone, a house that really centres its fragrances on its ingredients and lets them shine.

What is Amber

It’s not commonly known, but Amber is actually a kind of medicine for sick trees. This often golden, hardened, stone-like material has fossilised from tree resin over thousands of years. The sticky tree sap, as it hardens, often traps plants, insects, or other tiny organisms inside. Appreciated for its colour and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, technically not a mineral but an organic material, with varieties ranging from honey-yellow to deep red, green, and blue. 

How natural Amber is made

It is actually created by the tree, as a sort of defence mechanism to seal wounds; it oozes out, and then over time gets buried and fossilised under heat and pressure. Famed for its glorious colour, it was known in ancient times as ‘beaming sun’.

Its magical abilities and Symbolic Significance

Ancient Greeks discovered that when rubbed, Amber produced a static electric charge that could attract light objects. They named it “elektron,” which is the root of the modern word “electricity,” a seemingly magical property at the time. Greek mythology suggested amber was the crystallised tears of the Heliades (Phaethon’s sisters) mourning his death, while Baltic folklore viewed it as the “gold of the sea” or the tears of a sea goddess. Across different cultures, including Roman and Nordic traditions, Amber was widely used as a protective talisman or amulet, believed to ward off evil spirits, bring good luck, and offer protection in the afterlife.

Aromatic Scent

When burned, Amber has a soft, pleasant pine scent, which led to its use as incense in various cultures and added to its mysterious nature. But this is not strong, and so, inspired by the traditional accords of Ancient Arabian perfumery scent makers, in the 1880s, began to make synthetic versions, and this is what we know today and think of as an Amber note in perfumery; a warm, balsamic aromatic note.

Amber Perfume

So it is not some kind of squeezed juice from a piece of Amber, but it is the meeting of a few key ingredients (each nose’s recipe is unique). Usually find sweet notes of Vanilla with the important, always present, resinous Cistus Labdanum (Rock Rose), and then the possibility of earthy-smokey Patchouli, leathery-smokey spice of Styrax or Benzoin, and pine-like Fir balsam. Initially, only the classic Amber accord, typically centred on Labdanum, Benzoin, and Vanilla, existed, yet its composition is now more flexible and often includes various other resins or woody notes for nuance. 

Cistus Labdanum (Rock Rose) is an extremely important note in, not just Amber scents, but in the whole of perfumery, because of its rich, balsamic, amber-like, and leathery facets. It is a key base note to providing depth, warmth, and longevity, also serving as a powerful fixative. It’s a cornerstone for creating the warm, sweet, and resinous notes. Many scents will have it included, but rarely is it singularly celebrated. Well, until now that is.

The latest scent to be added to Jo Malone London is the Amber Labdanum Cologne Intense fragrance. This is a beautiful and very interesting take on Labdunum by the house. Known for their absolute celebration of ingredients, this core ingredient is further explored and acclaimed in this new elixir, simply called Amber Labdanum Cologne Intense. Interestingly, Rock Rose, the other name for Labdunum, is a study plant that is trimmed and grows abundantly wild, so it is one of the greener plants to grow for perfumery.

Firstly and foremost, the house explored different variations of this hardy scrub. Scrutinising up to 15 different diffusions of the oil, they chose one that used only the oil from the leaf, meaning the raw Labdumum was at a softer starting point. And why Labdunum? The new scent is a celebration of Spain, specifically,
Andalusia in Southern Spain, its age-old history and its golden colours. Think of gold, yellow, red, and orange, and you begin to paint a picture.

Developed by Jo Malone London’s Global Head of Fragrance Céline Roux and perfumer Yann Vasnier, both of whom travelled to the region for perfume inspiration.

‘I’ve always been in awe of the Alhambra in the south of Spain. I’ve always thought how much I would love to create something connected with the place’

Céline Roux, Global Head Of Fragrance

After finding the exacting standard they wanted from the Labdunum from a small producer in Spain, they began to explore what else would produce ‘Southern Spain in a bottle’. Of course, all over the region’s streets, hills and valleys are golden amber spheres of fruit: Bitter Oranges.

Bitter oranges, also known as Seville oranges, are a citrus fruit hybrid, prized for their intense sourness, thick peel, and fragrant oil, used in marmalade, liqueurs, perfumes, and as a culinary flavouring. The peel and leaves yield fragrant oils used in perfumes.

Bitter oranges arrived in Spain with the Moors around the 10th century, initially grown ornamentally in courtyards and gardens, too bitter to eat, which is why they ended up being used for so much else, including weirdly providing a power source in certain areas in Spain.

The power of the Labdunum here is ‘lifted’ or mulled with the Bitter Orange, bringing fresh, uplifting and zesty facets, but also has a hint that is slightly astringent, almost peel-like bitterness. So the opening is beautifully vivid.

The completion of the scent is complemented by a creamy Vanilla and roasted Oakwood, resulting in a scent that balances warmth and freshness, bringing a contemporary nuance to the ingredients. It is the unexpected roasted Oak that is the almost hidden jewel here. Created for The houses’ English Oak and Hazelnut, it brings to the elixir another facet of warmth. The magic of the Labdunum also allows for a rich, sensual silage, as it’s an ingredient noted for its longevity; after all, it is part of the Intense Cologne collection of the house

The finale is a rich, beautiful, balanced take on Labdunum with all its glorious leathery, animalic, and a powerful ambery force, melded with the ancient vitality of the Bitter Orange. It’s as powerful, bright and bold as the flag of Spain yet as warming and soft as the sun on skin; a moment of harmonious perfection.

Find all you need to know about the new scent here Jomalone.co.uk

If you enjoyed reading What Really Are Superb Amber Notes in Powerful Perfumes? Then why not read Get Ready for a Passionate New Year here

.Cent Magazine London. Luxury Mindset